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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22802680">Data Ex Machina</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SirLadySketch/pseuds/SirLadySketch'>SirLadySketch</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Kingdom Hearts</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>And I'm back on my replica bullshit, Background Namixi, Bittersweet Ending, Datascape, Idk I was sad and I thought you guys might wanna be sad too, Learning to move on, M/M, Or you could interpret it as the final chapter of my "You Wouldn't Download A Boy" series, Technically this could be canon compliant I guess, background soriku (mentioned), dealing with death, the san junipero au no one asked for</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 08:21:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,859</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22802680</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SirLadySketch/pseuds/SirLadySketch</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Axel died in the early hours of the morning. </p>
<p>The doctors had warned him days ago that he probably wouldn’t wake up again, but Roxas had still hoped they’d have one last chance to say goodbye. They’d had a good run, but death waited for no one, and Axel had held on longer than they’d even dared to dream.</p>
<p>Time was not so kind to hearts held fast in a replica’s shell.</p>
<p>- - - </p>
<p>The San Junipero AU that no one asked for, although the Datascape works really well for the concept. If you're familiar with that show, you can guess how this is gonna go.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Axel/Roxas (Kingdom Hearts)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Data Ex Machina</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Axel died in the early hours of the morning. </p>
<p>The doctors had warned him days ago that he probably wouldn’t wake up again, but Roxas had still hoped they’d have one last chance to say goodbye. That Axel would sit up in bed, give him that shit-eating grin, and beat the odds just once more. They’d talked about it before-- joked, even, when the impending weight of it hung too heavy in the air for anything but forced levity-- but they’d known it was only a matter of When, not If. They’d had a good run, but death waited for no one, and Axel had held on longer than they’d even dared to dream.</p>
<p>Time was not so kind to hearts held fast in a replica’s shell.</p>
<p>He’d thought he’d been prepared for the separation again, but Axel’s passing hit him hard. It was to be expected-- they’d spent nearly every day of the past 70-odd years side by side, overcoming incredible odds and stepping through those trials together. To wake up and suddenly <em> not </em> have Axel there was unthinkable. The bed was cold, the room was silent, the world was a little less bright. Without Axel there to fill the spaces between each breath he took, he was incomplete. Was this how Riku had felt, when Sora had gone? No wonder he’d been so quick to follow.</p>
<p>The girls sat with him through the wake, Naminé to one side, Xion on his other. They held vigil through the night, with quiet conversations and not so quiet tears. For three days and three nights, he received the well-wishes of friends and their former students, laughing through tears at shared memories. Axel would’ve liked that, he knew, seeing all the smiles as they remembered the good times and the triumphs through the bad. </p>
<p>The funeral itself was short; a few last words and then Axel was gone, truly gone, his ashes scattered to the winds. Later, Roxas anchored the now-dull keyblade in the gardens among the snapdragons-- Axel’s favorites-- and thought it looked lonely, despite the cheery brightness of the vibrant flowers surrounding it. Maybe another blade to prop it up, linked, so that together, they could withstand any weather. Soon, he knew. It would be soon.</p>
<p>It didn’t happen all at once. He had to let their friends know, the ones who hadn’t been able to come. He visited with each of them for a time, catching up on all that had been happening, of new arrivals and quiet passings. They let him talk, each story coming out through tears and laughter, another goodbye and then he was off to the next place to do it all over again. </p>
<p><em> What a blessing and a curse, </em> he thought as he went from world to world, <em> to have so many friends, so many memories to reminisce. Surely that’s a sign of a life well lived. </em> </p>
<p>But even those goodbyes were not infinite; at long last, he found himself facing his final, most difficult goodbye to date. His steps felt a little heavier as he made his way up the path, his arm leaden as he knocked, his whole body exhausted from the effort of just <em> being </em>. It had taken his all to get to this point, but he kept a little spark burning for just a little longer. He owed Axel that much, if not the others.</p>
<p>The door opened, warm and inviting. The girls had been expecting him.</p>
<p>They didn’t talk much the first night. He really <em> was </em> tired from world hopping, not to mention the onslaught of memories that washed over him when he stepped over the threshold. The last time he’d been here, Axel had been by his side, leaning on him for support when his frail body’s strength began to fail. </p>
<p>The space beside him was cold now, despite the warm smiles and tender hugs that welcomed him. If he was reticent to speak, or if the silences stretched on a little longer than normal, they didn’t press. They understood.</p>
<p>He couldn’t say how long he stayed, the days blurring together through tears and laughter. He caught them up on everything happening in the distant worlds, and they invited him into the heart of their home, offering comfort as they could. But they understood and supported him, so on the night he told them he was ready, they walked with him, hand in hand.</p>
<p>The fact that the machines still worked were a testament to Ienzo and Pence’s dedication, a legacy for the researchers who followed them. There had been improvements down the years, of course, making the machines more streamlined and comfortable, adjustments made to ensure that the physical remained whole and hearty while the spirit wandered the datascape.</p>
<p>For a moment, he wondered if he should say something, suggest what they do when the replica body was no longer needed, but he kept his mouth shut. They knew what they were doing, knew best what to do with it. What he left behind hardly mattered, not when he had so much to look forward to.</p>
<p>“Are you sure about this?” Xion asked, even as she adjusted the machine and prepared it for a final download. They’d played this conversation over and over through multiple iterations, argued every point and counterpoint, tried all of their options and he was still confident that this was the best solution. Still, she looked sad, and he put a hand on her shoulder to steady her resolve.</p>
<p>“It’s not like I’ll be gone for good,” he gently reminded her. “You can still talk to me, you could even come visit if you wanted.”</p>
<p>“It’s not the same and you know it,” she said, and he gathered her into a hug so she could cry openly onto his shoulder. “It’s not the same,” she repeated when she managed to calm down enough to speak again.</p>
<p>“No,” he agreed, then pulls back enough to kiss her forehead. “But it’s what I want.”</p>
<p>Naminé had been quiet-- quieter than usual-- but he knew it was her own way to grieve. She put her hands around Xion’s shoulders, and Xion turned into her. She exchanged a smile with Roxas as she soothed Xion’s back. <em> I’ll take care of her</em>. He nodded. Of course she would. Of that, he had no doubt.</p>
<p>He settled back into the chair and reached out, taking Xion’s hand in his. He gave it a final squeeze, suddenly unable to find the words he wanted-- no, <em> needed </em>-- to say. She knew, though, and returned the gesture with a watery smile. </p>
<p>Naminé held his other hand, but leaned over to give him a warm peck on the forehead. She squeezed his palm gently, and there were tears in her eyes.</p>
<p>“Say hi to everyone for us,” she said, and he nodded, once, then closed his eyes.</p>
<p>There was a hum, a biting wave of cold as the machine flashed strobes up and down his body, and then silence, and darkness.</p>
<p>- - -</p>
<p>He opened his eyes to sun-kissed clouds of pink and gold against a velvet blue sky with a sprinkling of stars. It was warm here, the late summer sunlight still captured in the blocks of granite beneath him. The constant hum was gone, too, replaced by the steady <em> tick - tick - tick </em>of the clock tower’s mechanisms, and he could hear the familiar low murmur of Twilight Town’s inhabitants bustling about in the city streets far below. </p>
<p>Roxas sat up and stretched, but he didn’t feel any different than usual. He wondered if that was because he’d always been this way, just data impressed upon a machine to form an image of a heart, but Sora hated it when he talked like that. </p>
<p><em> Sora</em>. </p>
<p>The heart he didn’t technically have anymore gave a little stutter. He’d get to see Sora again, if the transfer worked correctly. Hell, he’d even be happy to see <em> Riku </em> again, but there was someone else he wanted to find first. </p>
<p>He didn’t have to look far. Axel was stretched out behind the wall, looking far younger than he had in ages. He smiled at that thought-- despite everything they’d gone through, the many adventures they’ve shared, he still thought of Axel the way he looked when they first met, all those years ago. Funny that that was how Axel chose to appear here, in this place, where time no longer mattered.</p>
<p>Roxas reached down and gently shook him awake, holding his breath until Axel gave a little grunt of irritation and opened his eyes. And Roxas laughed, hastily brushing back tears while Axel blinked up at him, confused. He never <em> did </em> appreciate getting woken up from a nap.</p>
<p>“Sorry I fell asleep,” Axel mumbled as he sat up. He groaned as he stretched kinks and cracks out of long limbs. He ran a hand over his muzzy face, then pulled back to stare at his hand, alarmed. “Wait. Wait, this is. This is… the datascape?” </p>
<p>“Yeah,” Roxas agreed, then leaned down to help him to his feet. Axel blinked into the sunset, searching for words.</p>
<p>“So it worked, huh,” he asked at last, although the fact that they’re standing side by side, staring out at a townscape that hasn’t looked like this in 50-odd years should have been indication enough. Still, Roxas held tight to his hand and nodded.</p>
<p>“Doctors said it was instant-- one minute you were there, in bed, and the next you were here. Sorry I took so long,” he said. “I had to say some goodbyes.”</p>
<p>“Xion and Naminé, they’re still… <em> out there? </em>” Axel asked, gesturing to the sky. It was as good a place as any, but Roxas understood.</p>
<p>“They’re not ready yet. They have each other, and the school, and I-- I wanted to see you again.”</p>
<p>Axel laughed at that, sizing him up and down. “You made yourself taller.” He was still tall enough to reach down and ruffle Roxas’ hair though. “Isn’t that, like, cheating the system or something?”</p>
<p>“‘Bout time I got my growth spurt, right?” Roxas said as he pushed Axel’s hand away. But he held onto it and drew it to his chest, leaning in so they could survey their ‘new’ home together. “Besides, I figured that with Sora here, I’ll need the extra height.”</p>
<p>“Rest of the gangs all here, huh? I’m glad,” Axel admitted, then drew Roxas in for a hug and rested his chin on top of his head.</p>
<p>They stood like that for a time, watching the sunset, listening to the denizens of the digital town below. Roxas took in a deep breath, let it out in a sigh. For the first time in what felt like ages, the knot in his chest was gone and he could breath freely once again. Axel hummed in agreement, nuzzling the side of his neck in a gesture so familiar it nearly broke Roxas’ heart from happiness. Axel was here, they were <em> Home</em>.</p>
<p>“So what next?” Axel asked into Roxas’ hair. “Is this where the story ends?” </p>
<p>Roxas grinned, turning to pull him down for a kiss. </p>
<p>“This is where our happily ever after begins.”</p>
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